The Best TV Shows Of The Year (So Far)

Over half the year has passed (it’ll be Christmas before we know it), and so it’s about time we assessed the year’s television so far. Has it been good? We think so…

Everyone in our team has chosen the show that, for them, has been the best of the year yet..

Check them out here, and see if you agree with us:

Orange is the New Black

(Warning: season four spoilers!) The fourth season of Orange is the New Black was something particularly special. Starting us off with a moment of almost unadulterated joy (the inmates escaping to the lake just next to Litchfield), by the time we’d finished binge-watching, we’d just about forgotten what happiness was.

The darkest season by far, by the end of it we’d seen the Latina inmates - Maritza and Blanca in particular - abused by sadistic guards who wanted to watch them suffer. We’d seen Crazy Eyes (after spending a whole season almost sane) forced to fight her would-be love interest Maureen in a gladiator style arena, egged on by the dangerously unstable Humphrey. And we’d seen fan-favourite Poussey crushed and killed by an inexperienced - but tragically well-meaning - guard.

Netflix

This season might have broken our hearts, but it was powerful, and I’ll be astonished if it doesn’t sweep up those statuettes at next year’s Emmys.

Daisy Naylor

Jane the Virgin

When protagonist Jane was accidentally artificially inseminated during a mix-up at her gynaecologist, she found herself a pregnant virgin with a fiancé she’d never slept with, and who definitely wasn’t the father of her child.

There’s more. It turned out that the father was actually her boss (serial wooer of women, and owner of local luxury hotel) and that the sperm sample used to inseminate her was his last ever chance at a child.

The CW

Jane the Virgin is a hilarious and heartwarming drama about love, telenovelas and family, and this year’s second season has been every bit as good as the last. With a pretty wonderful narrator and a very entertaining plot, I can guarantee you’ll fall in love with this show and its well-crafted characters.

Sarah Hulyer

Daredevil

So I thought it would be almost impossible to follow on from the first season of Daredevil but, you know… they did.

Daredevil season one was something special as we saw the Kingpin’s (Wilson Fisk) rise and fall from grace as Daredevil battled him both in costume, as the man without fear, and as Matt Murdock, the brilliant attorney at law.

Netflix

Season 2 spectacularly betters it as we’re introduced to Frank Castle (Punisher) and Elektra (Elektra). Trouble brews when a murderous justice seeker goes on a rampage, killing gang members, and ends up on trial after being subdued by Daredevil and then represented by him.

The fight scenes – my god, the fight scenes – are something special and even compete with season one’s corridor fight. Frank in prison was stunning. Watch it.

Just a shame Karen and Foggy exist…

Alfie Powell

Stranger Things

For me the series’ strong 80’s stylistic influences are neatly summed up within the elements of that artwork; the impressive performances of the child actors, and the group camaraderie of The Goonies (1985), meeting the ‘who’ll be next?’ horror and surrealism of The Thing (1982). Add to that the superhuman aspects of Scanners (1981), an awesome medley of 80’s musical hits, and synth based scoring from Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, and you have a real treat on your hands. My only qualm with it was the very end, which to me felt a little too rushed and contrived for my liking - but I’ll say no more on that, (in the interests of staying spoiler free).

Overall, Stranger Things is definitely one of those series you’ll end up saying “well, just one more episode”, and before you know it you’ll have watched all eight… and it’ll be 4am- but then who needs sleep when you have programs as good as this?

Sam Mardon

House of Cards

With the US Presidential race occupying our news feeds with its complete and utter madness, it was fitting that the fourth season of House of Cards focused on Frank Underwood’s campaign to be re-elected as President (not that he was actually elected in the first place). The thing I love about Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, is that he’s just rotten to the core and yet I still want him to win.

The fourth season, like the three that proceeded it, continue along the vein of Frank and his wife Claire, played by Robin Wright, going to incredibly lengths to retain power. Their marriage is complex and about as romantic as a paper cut, but it makes for great TV.

Netflix

The first couple of seasons focused on a plot that cast its line over the whole season, making for an occasionally quite slow paced, although very entertaining, show. With season four they have thrown that method out of the window, creating moments of tension that make it incredibly binge-worthy, and each episode leaves you on some kind of cliff hanger.

It’s ruthless, it’s slippery, and above all it’s gripping. I don’t want to give spoilers away, but the season finale dealt a twist that means season five can’t come soon enough.

Mike Burton

Transparent

Watching Transparent is like sitting around at Christmas dinner eating turkey and watching everyone argue about why Uncle Merril wasn’t invited this year. You’re enjoying yourself, but you kind of hate everyone at the same time.

In the same way that Lena Dunham excellently moulded a discussion about modern womenhood through a bunch of infuriatingly selfish Girls, Transparent explores real - if not hyperbolised - on point issues of characters thrown together through family, but full of their own self-interest. Their lives are an entertaining car crash, a somehow more real version of the Kardashians.

Amazon Prime

Jeffrey Tambor stars as Maura, a transgender woman who is discovering how to convert herself from patriarch to matriarch, and how this relates to her role as an ex-husband to Shelley and as a father to their grown-up kids, Sarah, Josh and Ali. The “kids” are all dealing with their own plentiful issues from Sarah’s doubly broken marriages, Josh’s more-than-a-dabble in religion and Ali’s sexual reawakening. The recent season two delivers just as well as season one and by the time you’ve finished both it’ll be time for season 3, which is due to be released this Autumn.

Jessica Lever

Game of Thrones

“So far, this just feels like a Season Five recap”. That was one of my friend’s immediate reviews following the second episode of this year’s highly anticipated ten-ep ‘Thrones’ instalment. But make no mistake: despite getting the show off to a staggered restart, creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, in the end, did not disappoint.

HBO

In the most exciting season to date, at least two popular fan theories were confirmed, the most heartbreaking household-portal-based character death in the history of chemically and digitally reproduced dramatic fiction occurred, and Samwell Tarly discovered a massive library (and yes, that bit was brilliant!)… Whatsmore, the ‘Arya is a girl’ storyline absolutely nobody cared about became genuinely interesting this year.

The foundations for the prevailing theory that Daenerys will ultimately become an unhinged, power-tripping psychopath (like her father, the ‘Mad King’) seem to have been laid out. Now, only two seasons remain to find out if she’ll concur Westeros through peace or insanity - or both. Roll on season seven!

Theo Marlow

What have we missed? Let us know your favourites in the comments!